Increase protein?

[earthfriendlyfarm]

Brite day, I love the way you think. I have been giving my chickie chicks warm oatmeal with yogurt, almond butter I got on sale and raw pumpkin seeds for treats. Also scratch and seed. But I swear the girls legs look skinny. The leghorns seem smaller. They have an option of where to be here in north georgia. Either in their nesting/roosting room which is lined and has a heatlamp which comes on when the temps drop below 35. And I keep their laying pellets and water in there, cuz water wont freeze there. Or they can be out in the big covered pen where we keep the pen lined with bales of straw two high to keep the wind from whipping through. It is fabulous. But I too want to give my chickies more protein and try to fatten up to make their first winter better for them.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Leghorns just ARE skinny. They're a laying breed, not a dual purpose breed, so they just don't get as big.
Fat hens have reproductive (egg laying) problems.
You do not want fat birds.

 

[technodoll]

I feed my flock turkey growth crumbles (26% protein) mixed with cracked corn and a bit of layer crumbles...

They get a warm breakfast every morning of cooked oatmeal and/or other cooked grains, some kind of meat (raw or cooked), fresh fruit & veggies, plus any leftovers from dinner... I mix in some food-grade DE, some sand & grit and flax seeds too.

Treats include BOSS, wild bird seed, bread, shelled unsalted peanuts (their favorite!), baked squash or potatoes, basically anything and everything.... and they always have a block of suet available for them to peck at.

So far they're all giving me a nice big egg per day each despite the freezing temps, no crushed oyster shell, no more free ranging and no added artificial light

 

[chookchick]

Technodoll, I know you are worried about too much calcium (weird eggs), but I doubt that the turkey growth crumbles have enough calcium to support egg laying hens. If they don't get enough calcium, they will start to remove it from their own bones. I really think it would be a good idea to put in oyster shell (free choice) for them if they are not on a layer diet. They probably will pig out on it at first, to replenish supply, but things will even out over time. For instance, mine are not laying, are not on a layer crumble, and are not eating oyster shell hardly at all. But when they are laying, they eat a lot of it. When they are free-ranging, they can make up some of the difference with insect exoskeletons, but in a run, they are dependent on us.

 

[Paigettie]

I know this is YEARS past the last post, but if any other readers are interested, saving your egg shells, drying them, and crush them up to confetti sized bits is a great replacement for oyster shell.